Tom Schreck - Save Your Glory

Tom Schreck

Save Your Glory
Nashville Outsider Music; 2014

3.8 out of 5

By Ted Rogen

Whether you enjoy Tom Schreck’s music or not there is no denying that the man can write a catchy tune. Don’t take my word for it. According to Schreck’s bio his work has earned him finalist honors in the USA Songwriting Competition three consecutive years, as well as features on Lightning 100's Local Lightning Spotlight in 2009 and on the syndicated NPR program On Point with Tom Ashbrook in 2014. Schreck has released two albums. In 2009 he released Outsider and most recently came out with Save Your Glory. 

Save Your Glory is a great album but let me say this. It has seventeen songs. Trust me I as much as anyone love a girthy album. Back in the days when the only way to consume music was through vinyl this would have been easier for the masses to accept. If I had my way it would still be like that. Unfortunately with the advent of Spotify, the availability, cost (sometimes free) and general hedonistic way we now listen to music people go through it faster and usually don’t spend as much time with one particular album. My whole point is that as good as this album it may get glossed over due to the sheer amount of material. Schreck may have benefitted from splitting these songs up into two separate albums. 

Schreck is a versatile artist and flirts with numerous genres, which include  rock, Americana, funk, soul, power pop, Celtic, world beat and classical music through a rich variety of instrumentation. I ain’t kidding - just look at his Bandcamp page. Schreck plays steel-string and nylon-string acoustic guitars; electric guitars, synthesizer, glockenspiel, percussion, tympani, handclaps, ukulele, harmonica, sings and more on this release. That’s only the tip of the iceberg. He enlists a slew of additional musicians to bring in even more instrumentation that includes but is not limited to the mandolin, cello and dobro. 

One thing that binds these songs is their accessibility. Ultimately, the music is there to support Shrek's vocals, which are always delivered with heartfelt emotion. On top of that Schreck’s vocal melodies are almost sing along worthy. Since there is so much material here I feel it is almost pointless to get into the particulars of any one song. Schreck is consistent with his songwriting despite the different genres so I doubt you will have contrasting emotions when comparing songs. 

My advice is to take some time out of your day and sit down with this album. There is little doubt in my mind you will become a fan.

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